Forest department stalls port project

MANOJ KAR

The Paradip port. Telegraph picture Paradip, Sept. 20: The Rs 506-crore deep draught iron ore terminal has failed to take off at the Paradip Port Trust (PPT). The state forest department has put the brakes on project. “We are issuing letters to the forest department. However, it is yet to concur clearance,” said chairman of the PPT Biplav Kumar. “Since this is an important port project, we are expeditiously treating the case. Once the PPT gives us an undertaking that compensatory forestation would be done by it, clearance would be sanctioned to the project,” said divisional forest officer of the Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division Manoj Kumar Mohapatra. “The spot for terminal project is under the PPT jurisdiction. However, the construction site falls under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) territory. Our sanction, therefore, is a must for such project marked by congruity to sea,” said Mohapatra. An accord was signed between the PPT and a private bidder on July 1, 2009. The project has already hit a roadblock. This is the first project under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to be implemented in the port sector. As part of the PPP scheme of the central government, the PPT had floated global tenders for construction of the deep draught iron ore berth on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, said PPT officials. The PPT went ahead with signing agreement for the project and completed the global tender bidding process. However, the forest department was neither informed, nor was its mandatory clearance sought. The forest department, armed with technical grounds, put the brakes on it, said official sources. After obtaining clearance from the forest department, the project would have to secure the environment ministry’s approval as well. Paradip port would provide supporting facilities like dredging of channel and berth, railway lines and back-up area for construction. Moreover, the port will incur expenditure to shift the Central Industrial Security Force complex and upgrade the electrical reception facilities to facilitate implementation of the project. The project was expected to enhance cargo-handling capacity of the PPT. With export-import turnover shooting up, 14 operational berths are being exerted enormous load. According to PPT officials, ships are lying stranded for days in the port anchorage as there is continuous cargo handling operation in existing berths. On completion of the project, the PPT’s capacity addition to the port will be ten million tonne per annum. (Sourced from Telegraph)